Reserving Hotel Rooms for Out of Town Wedding Guests

If you are planning a destination wedding, it’s a good idea to reserve a block of rooms with one or more nearby hotels. Most hotels will offer a group rate for weddings based on the percentage of blocks being reserved and if it's during a peak season . The hotel will give a code for your guests to use when calling to book their own room and typically require the reservation is made several weeks in advance.

You may include detailed information with hotel recommendations and costs on save the date magnets 12 to 6 months before your wedding.  Or once you receive the majority of RSVP’s included in your wedding invitations, reserve a block rooms for your guests and send informal cards with your recommended hotel accommodations.

My sister planned a beautiful winter wedding this past December and even though she did not have a lot of out of town guests, she did reserve a block of rooms at a near by hotel. I am glad she did because the weather forecast did not indicate 8 inches of lake effect snow that began to fall during the wedding ceremony. The block of rooms she reserved were quickly filled by the time the reception started.

Renee'

Hot Off The Press: Colorful Cupcake Boxes

After much ado, we are so excited to be able to introduce new colorful cupcake boxes to our line of personalized individual cupcake favor boxes.

These cupcake boxes are bright and bold ranging in colors like bermuda blue, lime green, hot pink, yellow, pink, and more.  They really add that vavoom, or 'je ne sais quoi' if you will, to your place settings and favor tables.  The boxes are a great alternative to traditional cake, making it easier to send guests home with dessert, budget your expenses, and eliminate left-overs.

From a construction standpoint, these cupcake boxes have both their advantages and disadvantages. 

Benefits

1) They have a glossy finish and are very lightweight.  Easy to assemble, the boxes are one-piece and pop right open.  2) They are made of high-quality paper stock, are grease resistant, and are FDA approved for food use.  3) They come in two sizes, standard and jumbo, for filling with regular cupcakes or extra large muffins.

Drawbacks

Be cautious when selecting your custom printing options.  When deciding on the printing color to go on your boxes, be sure to select a color that will contrast against the paper background.  We've noticed that the box color has a tendency to 'absorb' the color that is being printed.  i.e.  You do not want to print orange on a hot pink box because these colors are too close to each other in shade and hue.  The result will not be legible.  Instead, opt for white, black, blue, or purple as your imprint color.

To learn more, visit our website to view personalized individual cupcake favor boxes.  Happy Planning!

Allie

Blended Family Wedding Vows

Including your children in your wedding is the ideal way to reinforce positive feelings about your union and to form new bonds between your children and your new spouse. I myself am married for the second time and I know how hard it can be to make your children feel like a part of your special day. I have, in my years of experience come up with a few ideas of how to incorporate your children to make them feel included and special.

• Have your child play a role in the wedding, such as flowergirl, ringbearer, bridesmaid, usher, male attendant, best man or maid of honor.

• The actual wedding vows are also a way to include your children. You can ask the minister or officiant to add the children's name to the ceremony. By also pledging a vow to love and honor your stepchild, you will indeed make them feel like they are a special part of the day.

• Include your children in the receiving line so that you may be greeted by your guests as a new family instead of just a new couple.

• Sand ceremony kits are one of my favorite ideas for including the children. Using sand ceremony unity sets allows each person to pour a small amount of colored sand into a large cylinder. The mixing of the different colored sand represents the individuals becoming blended in their new lives together. You can even get each small cylinder engraved with your children’s names to give a personal touch.

I recently read a story online about a couple who after they read their vows to each other and exchanged rings, they presented each others children with a necklace that had a special medallion on it representing family. While giving each child the gift, they promised to love and cherish each child and to make a loving family together.

I am lucky to have a very special husband who told me that when he married me he also married my children. Including your children will make them feel important and let them know that marriage is not just about joining a husband and a wife, but it can also be about creating a new family!

Carrie

Personalized Can Koozies Make The Memory Of Your Wedding Day Last

I don't know about you but I love, love, love going to a wedding and receiving a favor that I can use over and over again.  The gesture really lets you know the bride and groom were thinking of you.

One of my absolute favorite favors to receive are can koozies.  They are just so darn fun and laidback.  Koozies are especially great for summer and spring weddings when the heat can get so sweltering that you know those babies will be used the minute your guests enter the door to your reception.

Personalized can koozies are a great way to make the memory of your wedding day last.  You can have a witty phrase, a monogram, or your names and wedding date printed on them in almost any color from the rainbow.  Every time your guests use their custom gift, you can be sure they will think of you and the fun they had on your big day.



Personalized Koozies from My Wedding Reception Ideas



Set your koozie favors out at each place setting for guests to grab up on their way into your reception.  Include a basket at the bar filled with any extra koozies you may have for guests to take.  For destination weddings, put a couple of your custom gifts into your out of town gift bags for your hotel guests.  Happy Planning!

Allie

Make Your Wedding Cake Stand Out with a Unique Cake Topper

One of the most important parts of a wedding ceremony is cutting the wedding cake. One way to make your cake stand out is by selecting a unique wedding cake topper. Brides today are looking for something different than what their parents and grandparents have done in years past.

There are so many different types of cake toppers to choose from. For a more formal cake you can go with a glass or acrylic topper engraved with the couple's first names or monogram. Or it could be two entwined hearts representing two hearts becoming one. Another popular and modern cake topper is a single monogram for the top of the cake. Long gone are the days of figurines dressed up in formal wear but they are also still available for those of us who love anything vintage.

The most important recommendation that I could give to any bride is to choose the cake topper most suited to your personality. Make it unique to yourself or your wedding theme. What ever you decide, wedding cake toppers are a great way to add some extra style and grace to your wedding cake.

Carrie